Talk about daily life of a teenage girl in Iraq, and days of suffering and success. My nick name will be Sunshine..

Thursday, January 18, 2007

Reshining ....

Hello ,Many events happened this week , a relative of mine was murdered while he was driving his car in Mansoor a neighborhood in Baghdad, he is 25 years old , and has 6 months old baby , my grandparents couldn’t go to the funeral because the bridges are locked , and we couldn’t go to Baghdad because it is impossible ..My other relatives’ story is very tragic , a lorry exploded in front of their house , the house completely damaged , their 13years old daughter died , the mother and father as well as one of their sons were very badly injured and they are in the emergency room , their other son is a live with simple injuriesWhat a tough situation when a brother bury his sister ? , his parents and brother in critical situation ,their house and car were burned and destroyed……….************I got a letter from a dear friend of mine telling me that the media says that the Sunnis kill the Shiites and the Shiites kill Sunnites in Iraq .. OOOOHHHHH Of course that is not true , Sunnites and Shiites have been living together for ages , they marry each other , I have relatives married Shiites women\men, if that was true , that means my parents’ uncle should kill his wife ,my mom’s uncle should kill his wife , some of my parents’ cousins should kill their wives\husbands !!!!!!!! and I should kill my two best friends , that is ridiculous…In my grandparents’ neighborhood, there are people from many religions there are Muslims(Sunnites, Shiites) , Christians , Subba , &Armenians.. they are more than neighbors , like one family , when my eye problem happened ( I had Deplopia) our Christian neighbors went to the church and lightened candles for me , and our Shiites neighbors went to Karbala , she traveled to another city , just to pray for me ( Karbala is a religious place specially for Shiites ), the examples are so many . I’ve talked about that in many posts . and said that in many interviews , and I will keep saying that till the people in the world start to realize , that Iraqis (Sunnites and Shiites) live in Iraq for more than 1400 years, they are MUSLIMS and IRAQIS.We go shopping together , if we need any help , we ask our neighbors to help us , because we are all Iraqis , no matter what are our religion , nor creeds , I didn’t know what are Shiites and Sunnites until I was 12 years old, and lately it appears that there are more creeds , Shafee and hanafy !!!!!! and other creeds , I don’t know which one I belong to , and I don’t even want to know , those names are not important , we all believe in the same god , and say the same prayers , no matter how do we stand and those formals if we put our hand together when we pray or not !!!!!!, what’s important is what is there inside our hearts .So , NO we don’t kill each other , the terrorists who kill Shiites are the same who kill Sunnites , it is impossible that Good Iraqis kill each other , no matter what is their religions nor creeds …In my own big family , there are Arabs and Kurd , Sunnites and Shiites , Iraqis Americans , British , Turks , and Germans ( my parent’s uncle married a British lady , his daughter married a guy originally from Germany , and my dad’s cousin has a Turkish wife, many of my relatives married Shiites ) , what a mixture !!....From many nationalities and creeds. We are one big family..**************my mid year exams will start on 2/6 and ends at 15/2 , I will study and do the best I can to get high marks and make you and my family proud , so I won’t shine often , but I will try to write to you , when I will have electricity and time .I hope I will have electricity in the coming days to study .. I pray for that.I took my marks , they are actually good !!!!!!!! only 5 girls took marks higher than 90 in physics , I got 93% . my marks are higher than 92 in all of the subjects except in chemistry , Arabic , and French .My par In mathematics is 100, I got 96% in English (the highest one in my class of course ) , I want to get higher. My family very much liked my marks , even grandma !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!**********************In spite of the hard situation , no electricity , no security , the students keep going to school .. and we will succeed , and get high marks no matter what the terrorists do , weather they like or not we will keep going on , and be something useful in the future and re-built Iraq , Iraqi people who will read that will think I am crazy because I didn’t lose the hope yet !!!! well I actually lost the hope and became so depressed , but now my optimistic came back !!!!! , but I am still terrified from the unknown future ..I realized that terrorists are trying to make the Iraqis give up hope , but I always say “ the terrorists will never win “Grandma told me last month “ we miss your talk , you used to keep talking till I have headache “ and mama said “ I miss your laughter , and your smile “ I read my old posts when I was really optimistic, and your old letters, I took a cold shower after that ( we don’t have warm water ) and started to cry , I am not the same person anymore , why I was change ??? I missed my old spirit , as well as everyone in my family , relatives and fiends , and i came back to my mind .My birthday will be on 29/1/ , I will be 15 . I will try to write a post about that.. Sunshine .I got a letter from a reader suggesting this idea :To answer a question or two in the end of every post , what my readers wants to know about me ? and everything come to your minds , our culture , traditions , language , and everything come to your minds , just e-mail me , and I will try to answer your questions , here in my blog .…

96 Comments:

Sunshine- it is unbelievable that you are still only 14 years old!! So smart and blessed with grace. If only the leaders of Iraq were as intelligent as you are- we would not have these tragedies. Hopefully inshallah we will see some more good news coming out of Baghdad soon. How is the situation in Mosul now? I have heard from Mike Yon that things are going better now on the security front..

The world has so much to learn from you. You are absolutely correct, we all have the same needs and basic desires. There is no one among us who would chose to live in terror. The people we hear about in the news are not Iraqi people, they are terrorists.

It is not hard to understand where the laughter and the innocent talking has gone. You have been witness to things that no child should see and with those things, your innocence has gone as well. But Sweet, Sweet Dear One, the fact that you choose to work hard and go to school, honour your parents and serve others with your kindness shows a dignified, gracious young woman, whose innocence may be gone, but whose dedication to make the world a better place is complete.

And Dear One, do smile. Your life matters and is making a difference in the world and you should be most proud of that.

As usual your marks are wonderful. And I am glad that even your grandmother was pleased. She should be, you are an intelligent woman.

Dear One, our prayers continue for you and your family. We pray for peace and unity. We pray for safety and understanding. We pray for God's presence to be with you....always.

Dear Sunshine, I just heard about your blog from a poet who spoke to us on Martin Luther King Day. She is an American of Palestinian parents, who writes beautiful poetry. Martin Luther King was a civilrights leader who preached non violent conflict resolution, much the way Gandhi did. I hope a pray for a peaceful end to the war in you land, which the American military started. your blog makes the suffering of your country real. I respect your efforts tocontinue living life to the fullest and doing the best you can in your studies. I have 3 children and none of them has had to struggle for an education as you have. I hope you can get away if it becomes too dangerous, so that you can continue your studies in peace. Butmore than that, I hope peace comes to your country as soon as possible.

I am very sorry to hear of the deaths of two of your relatives. I give you my sincere condolances. I hope that the mother, father, and son will fully recover, and soon.

You have an amazing and wonderful family with so many people of different cultural and religious backgrounds who all care for one another! As you said, in Iraq there are many families like yours. It gives me some hope that Iraqi people can live together in peace in the future.

Congratulations on your excellent marks! I hope you will have enough electricity to study for your upcoming tests. I wish you good luck!

I think that you have showed a lot of courage in this post! I hope you will keep working hard and try to keep your spirits up. I hope that your birthday will be a very happy day for you!

Sunshine....you are truly a breath of fresh air! I hope someday there will be peace in your country. And I also hope you can come to America for a visit. I know the American people will embrace your kind spirit with open arms.

Did you say in one of your posts that you have relatives here? What do they think about the war in your country?

Sunshine. you are like a beacon in that dark, shattered world. Please stay steadfast cos you make the world see the iraqui people as they really are.Congrats on the school marks. Your grandma should be proud of you. I know I would be.take carestarliz

I am so sorry for the tragic deaths in your family and other Iraqi families. It is good to hear you say how many faiths can live together. I think it is the small but vocal number of those who are in the "extreme" category that make the headlines. We have it here in Canada too Sunshine. Catholics, Protestants, Muslims, Hindu and Jews all live in the same neighbourhoods. We have are all people created by God and all deserve respect.You are doing so well in school Sundshine. God has huge plans for you. Stay safe!!Kim

I am ever so sorry for the deaths of your family. I wish you and your family the best in dealing with that situation. As I sat here watching tv and typing on my laptop, ignoring my homework, I thought how true it is that I am a spoiled Brat! You are doing every thing you possibly can to surrive and succeed in life. I too am 14 soon to be 15, however you already are years older than I. As I read your blog I started to cry. Some nights when I hear fighter jets fly over my house, I think of another World War and I feel like hating the poeple of the middle east. You have shown me that Iraqis are not bad, they are people just like me. Yes, there are terrorists and they want to win. But we need people like you keeping us going and being optimistic and telling us that they will NOT win. The news barley ever says anything about people like you. I don't know why. Americans need to hear your story and know whats really going on. You have opened my eyes. I do have one question for you; how do you feel about the American military being in Iraq? Does it seem like we are helping you? I wish I could really talk to you but I can not. If it is ok I would like to put your link onto my blog, http://stacisrealthoughts.blogspot.com .

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Sunshine, my condolences for the loss of your family members. You astound me with your strength. The ones doing the killings are neither Shi'a or Sunni. They have corrupted religion for their own purpose. They are a cult of hate. Sunshine always overcomes darkness!Keep that optimism going for your family(that includes your readers). We are all so proud of you. Congratulations on those great grades!!!!

thank you for your comments , i love you all ...**************thanks a lot for your comment (Anonymous) , and btw i am 14 too .. of course i would love to talk to you , and feel free to add me to your blog http://stacisrealthoughts.blogspot.com i will answer your questions on my next post . i hope i will not forget that !

Oh Sunshine my little dear, to my eyes you bring a tear;but not of hurt or pain,no, these are those tears which keep us sane.

The ones which flow quite happily-like when you can be you,or when I can be me.

by Luke(y) Skinner 25/1/07

I love your optimism dear sunshine, I try my hardest all the time to help you remember the need for such people as you, and people as me. Who will stay optimistic no matter the situations we may face. There are times when we all feel defeated, but an optimist will look to the future and find a way to make it there.

I promise you my dear that we will make it to that future. We, you and I will enjoy some strong chai in a Mosul cafe some year to come. I know it, I can feel it to my bones.

By the way, today the Olivebranch Network is 1 year old and we hope to make it to 10,000 hits today (Thursday January 25). Send your blog readers over !! http://olivebranchoptimism.net

Hey,Happy belated birthday, Sunshine! Hope all your birthday wishes come true.. Congratulations on your awesome marks. I guess I have no right to tell you to not worry but all I can say is to hold on. Everything will turn out well.

I'm really at a loss for words now after visiting your blog for the very first time. Perhaps, after I get over the fact that you speak more truth and with more grace and passion than our leaders I'll have something further to say. But probably not. It's time for we Americans to just *listen*.

You are a very special young woman and I want you to know you are in my thoughts. Thank you, Sunshine, for beaming me a little Hope.

You seems like a very admirable & intelligent young woman who has been through a great deal, more than any I could every have imagined. Does you write originally in English? If so, that's great! I thought this was particularly interesting:

[quote]I got a letter from a dear friend of mine telling me that the media says that the Sunnis kill the Shiites and the Shiites kill Sunnites in Iraq .. OOOOHHHHH Of course that is not true , Sunnites and Shiites have been living together for ages , they marry each other , I have relatives married Shiites women\men, if that was true , that means my parents’ uncle should kill his wife ,my mom’s uncle should kill his wife , some of my parents’ cousins should kill their wives\husbands !!!!!!!! and I should kill my two best friends , that is ridiculous…[/quote]

Your purpose and divine nature are bringing about true change in the world. People are reading your words and understanding what life is truly like for a family trying to live righteously in Iraq.

For your birthday, I send the very best of hope and love across the miles. And in honour of your most special day, I will make a box filled with treats, books, beautiful scents and journals and pens to write with to send with our soldiers from Canada who are delivering them to people they meet while serving there. With a dream and a prayer, maybe you will even get my box.

Hi Sunshine, I am always edifird and encouraged to live whenever I read your blog. You are living in unbelievably difficult and greiving situations. But most of all I admire your spirit and determination to live. It's very unnatural for people to be so in society. God Bless yYa and keep the faith!

Happy Birthday! Would it be okay with you if I talked about you on my blog? I am a 14 year old American girl and reading your blog really amazes me and makes me appreciate what I have. When I read your blog, I always get inspired because I think about how life brings you down, but you try to make the best of things.

I've realized no matter how much fighting or peace there is in the world, we will always have setbacks and disappointments to deal with. What matters most is what's in our heart and that we're willing to put God and His will before our own. God will be victorious in the end. I will keep praying for you and your family.

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Hi Sunshine! Im sorry to hear of the losses in your family. I send you my deepest condolences and prayers. I would also like to congratulate you on your high marks. C-O-G-R-A-T-U-L-A-T-I-O-N-S!! May you never lose your optimism and wonderful outlook for the future. Hope yo hear from you soon.

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Sunshine,Thank you for posting your messages from your home. It is hard to live in America and only see what our media will show us of life over in your country. I am so sorry for the damage that has been done to your family and the safety that you should have. Please know that not all Americans are behind this president, in fact many many many of us protest what is being done in our names. You and I share a birthday and I do hope that it was a good day for you and I hope to read about your latest experiences soon. If for nothing else to know that you are ok.PeaceKyra

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Wow. youre a special breed. The human race should be cloned with your genes :) And I"m not just saying this because your an Iraqi who likes country music, but because of your Spirit. Don't loose hope. THings have to get better soon.

About Me

I was born in 29/1/1992 , I grow up among well educated family.
i am studying engineering now, it was my dream to be an engineer and help in rebuilding my country in the future.
I have many dreams and ambitions, I wish that one day they become true .my mom always support me to accomplish my ambitions …
optimism is my strategy always…
Computer and internet are my life and what I do in my spare time , But if we don’t have electricity, I spend my spare time reading , writing, listening to music and doing some handmade work …
I found that Blogging is a great way to express my thoughts , opinions, & feelings to the world ,to get friends & to share them my happy & sad moments…